Shasta County supervisors to revisit ideas to boost jail bed space

Shasta County supervisors on Tuesday plan to regroup on recent conversations about public safety and try to carve a path forward on how to add more beds to the Shasta County Jail.

County Chief Executive Officer Larry Lees will present the board with details — timelines, costs and processes — on how to add 60 beds to the jail and how the county could use two Shasta County Superior Courtrooms attached to the jail to house inmates, according to a report to the board.

The latter depends on the construction of a new courthouse, which could be on track this year. Gov. Jerry Brown’s tentative budget plans commit to starting construction on the $155 million project.

While at least one revision on the budget is expected in May before the Legislature tackles the matter in June, local officials hope the funding will be approved in the final budget and the new building will be finished by 2020.

Sheriff Tom Bosenko, though, said discussions Tuesday will include the Board of State of Community Corrections recent denial of a request to increase the jail’s 383-bed rated capacity. Corrections officers last year started feeding inmates in shifts in part to accommodate that request, which would have allowed the county to add up to 60 beds.

The BSCC is a state agency tasked with oversight of local jails. Bosenko said the county received word of the agency’s denial last week.

“It’s a lengthy letter,” but the denial centered on different interpretations by the county and state over rules for the jail, Bosenko said.

“We are evaluating our options for an appeal to the decision. 'We' being the county and counsel," Bosenko said.

He also pointed to another option: installing additional showers. The move could cost less than $1 million but the county could add up to 60 beds in the jail.

To do so, officials would also have to seek a modification of a court order barring the county from going over 90 percent of jail’s capacity — about 342 inmates.

"Getting the jail beds is a top priority and we're trying to do everything we can to do that," Bosenko said.

Supervisor Les Baugh will also pitch using the current Juvenile Rehabilitation Facility as a jail annex, he said on Facebook over the weekend. The move comes after the Record Searchlight reported the youth facility is typically only about one-third full and officials contract with nearby Trinity and Modoc counties to house their juvenile inmates.

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The Shasta County Juvenile Rehabilitation Facility houses juveniles from outside the county because the facility is not full most of the time.(Photo: Damon Arthur/Record Searchlight)

State and federal laws prohibit housing adults in the same building as juveniles but Baugh wants to explore whether the county can use the space to add up to 90 beds strictly for adults.

“Yes, yes, I know, there are plenty of questions. Can we repurpose the JRF for adult use? What about our agreement with the state, can that be unwound? Is there enough room in a nearby county for our youth? And I’m sure there are far more questions. Here’s the thing, if we ignore this possibility we will never know,” Baugh said on Facebook.

Baugh also wants to know whether the county can get at least get part of state lease revenue bonds officials twice returned. The money was supposed to go toward building new jail facilities but the county backed out of its plans after learning it couldn’t afford the added costs to staff those buildings.

“Yes, I know this is the money we returned to the state but how do we know it’s not possible to reapply for this money for a different purpose? We won’t know until we ask,” Baugh said.

Baugh said that after the meeting he’ll call for another public workshop. More than 100 people attended the county’s first workshop last month during the nearly four-hour meeting.

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Dusty Steele, honorary mayor of Cottonwood, addresses the Shasta County Board of Supervisors on Wednesday during a public safety workshop.